On July 15, 1982 at 5:30 a.m. Lawn Lake broke
through the terminal moraine that had held since the end of the last ice age,
thousands of years ago. The release of 29 million gallons of water swept trees
and car-sized boulders four miles down to the valley floor. In addition to tons
of lighter rocks, gavel and sand creating a 42-acre alluvial fan. A trash
collector heard the waters crashing down the Roaring River and called park
rangers, who evacuated campers at Aspenglen campgrounds. Two were lost to the
flood at the campground and one along the Roaring River. Much of the flood's
force was weakened while submerging the meadows of Horseshoe Park, but still
had enough force to flood the town of Estes Park to a depth of six feet. Lake
Estes to the east of town contained the floodwaters preventing further
damage.

Sediments from the flood dammed the Fall River, forming a
shallow 17-acre lake. Unofficially called
"Fan
Lake" , it has provided new habitats for wildlife displaced by the
Lawn Lake flood's debris.

By 1996, Fall River has already begun eroding
the lakes temporary dam. Eventually, the lake will drain to create wetlands,
meadows and forest.